Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to telecommunications and more specifically to techniques for disambiguating voice collisions.
In push-to-talk (PTT) radio systems, a floor control mechanism allows only one talker to talk at a given time. These mechanisms may be used for emergencies where emergency personnel may communicate via short bursts of communication. The voice channel is mostly kept silent to allow important statements to have free air time. This may allow a speaker to immediately be granted floor control when an emergency occurs. However, when only one speaker is granted floor control, then multiple speakers who may need to speak at that time may not talk.
Systems may be provided with the capability of allowing multiple speakers to talk simultaneously in a single group. For example, when more than one speaker talks, the audio from the first three speakers is mixed and rendered at the same time. This may be confusing to a listener as the listener has to listen to three speakers talk at once. If the listener cannot understand what each speaker said, the listener may have to ask the speakers to repeat their last statements again. In some cases, such as in emergency situations, a speaker may not be able to repeat their last statement. Also, in emergency situations, an immediate response to a speaker's statement may be important. However, if a listener cannot interpret what the speakers are saying, then their response may be compromised.